Archaeologists have identified a previously unknown luxury trade network dubbed the 'Saffron and Tin' Route. Chemical analysis of residues in Aegean stirrup jars and tin ingots found in Mediterranean shipwreck sites suggests a direct exchange of precious spices and metals between Mycenaean Greece and the high-altitude mines of the Hindu Kush in modern-day Afghanistan.
This discovery shifts the understanding of Late Bronze Age globalization, suggesting that trade routes were far more extensive and integrated than previously recorded. The research implies that the collapse of these long-distance links may have been a primary factor in the societal shifts and 'Bronze Age Collapse' of the 12th century BCE.